Heat exchangers

ABSTRACT

HEAT EXCHANGERS FOR TRANSFER OF HEAT FROM ONE FLUID TO ANOTHER THROUGH THIN WALLED MEMBERS MADE OF A PLASTICS MATERIAL RESISTANT TO CORROSIVE ACTION OF THE FLUIDS. THE HEAT EXCHANGER IS A BLOCK FORMED FROM PLATES OF PLASTICS MATERIAL SPACES APART FROM EACH OTHER, AT LEAST OVER AREAS INTERMEDIATE THEIR EDGES, FOR FLOW OF FLUID THEREBETWEEN AND SPACERS OF PLASTICS MAERIAL AT OPPOSITE EDGES OF THE PLATES FORMING SEALS BETWEEN ADJACENT PLATES AT THE EDGES AND DEFINING PASSAGES FORFLUIDS BETWEEN SPACED APART AREAS OF THE PLATES. IN ONE EMBODIMENT ONE SET OF PASSAGES TERMINATES AT ONE PAIR OF FACES OF THE BLOCK AND ANOTHER SET OF PASSAGES, NOT COMMUNICATING WITH THE FIRST SET, TERMINATES AT A DIFFERENT PAIR OF FACES OF THE BLOCK. THUS A FLUID OF ONE TEMPERATURE CIRCULATES ADJACENT A FLUID OF A DIFFERENT TEMPERATURE, THE FLUIDS BEING SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER BY A THIN WALLED MEMBER. SUITABLLE PLASTICS MATERIALS INCLUDE ANY POLYMERIC MATERIAL CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING THE TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE AAND CORROSIVE CONDITIONS WITHIN THE HEAT EXCHANGER. ILLUSTRATIVE MATERIALS INCLUDE POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE, HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE AND POLYPROPYLENE. SHEET THICKNESS, SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE FLUID SEPARATION YET THIN ENOUGH TO PROVIDE FOR SUFFICIENT HEAT TRANSFER, IS USUALLY FROM 0.01-1.0 MM., PREFERABLY 0.25-0.5 MM. SPACER THICKNESS IS NOT CRITICAL BUT SHOULD BE CHOSEN TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT FLOW OF FLUID THROUGH THE EXCHANGER.

DEFENSIVE PULICATION UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Published at the request of the applicant or owner in accordance with the Notice of Dec. 16, 1969, 869 0.0. 687. The abstracts of Defensive Publication applications are identified by distinctly numbered series and are arranged chronologically. The heading of each abstract indicates the number of pages of specification, including claims and sheets of drawings contained in the application as originally filed. The files or these applications are available to the public for inspection and reproduction may be purchased for 30 cents a sheet.

Defensive Publication applications have not been examined as to the merits of alleged invention. The Patent Oflice makes no assertion as to the novelty of. the disclosed subject matter.

PUBLISHED JUNE 26, 1973 T911,013 HEAT EXCHANGERS David Evan Bryan Morgans, Hatfield, and Frank Smith,

Widnes, England, assignors to Imperial Chemical llndustries Limited, London, England Filed Aug. 13, 1971, Ser. No. 171,426 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Aug. 28, 1970, 41,603/ 70 lint. Cl. F28f 3/00 US. Cl. 165-166 5 Sheets Drawing. 10 Pages Specification Heat exchangers for transfer of heat from one fluid to another through thin walled members made of a plastics material resistant to corrosive action of the fluids. The heat exchanger is a block formed from plates of plastics material spaced apart from each other, at least over areas intermediate their edges, for flow of fluid therebetwecn and spacers of plastics material at opposite edges of the plates forming seals between adjacent plates at the edges and defining passages for fluids between spaced apart areas of the plates. In one embodiment one set of passages terminates at one pair of faces of the block and another set of passages, not communicating with the first set, terminates at a different pair of faces of the block. Thus a fluid of one temperature circulates adjacent a fluid of a different temperature, the fluids being separated from each other by a thin walled member.

Suitable plastics materials include any polymeric material capable of withstanding the temperature, pressure and corrosive conditions within the heat exchanger. 11- lustrative materials include polytetrafluoroethylene, high density polyethylene and polypropylene.

Sheet thickness, suflicient to provide fluid separation yet thin enough to provide for suflicient heat transfer, is usually from 0.01-1.0 mm., preferably 0.25-0.5 mm. Spacer thickness is not critical but should be chosen to provide sufficient flow of fluid through the exchanger.

June 26, 1973 B, MORGANS EI'AL TQILQIB HEAT EXC HANGERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 13, 1971 June 26, 1973 MORGANS ETAL 191L013 HEAT EXCHANGERS Filed Aug. 13, 1971 5 sheetsr-Sheet A A V j V a L4 i I/ *1 l/ i I! 1 June 26, 1973 MORGANS ETAL T911013 HEAT EXCHANGERS Filed Aug. 13, 1971 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 26, 1973 MQRGANS ETAL T91L013 HEAT EXCHANGERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 13, 1971 man qua man 444 FIG. 8

HEAT EXCHANGERS Filed Aug-15, 1971 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG.9

FIG. IO 

